A Lighter Shade of Dark
by Mishachan
Summary: (Link To The Past fic) Things are not always as they appear, and the Dark World is no different. A world seen through Link's eyes may be just a little different through someone else's.
1. 1

_A Lighter Shade of Dark   
**Chapter One**_

I first met Link when he came to the Village of Outcasts, looking for trouble. It was an unusually quiet night, so I had settled down next to the fire, polishing my cucco's bones to a nice purple sheen. I had only just started when I heard a violent scuffle just outside my door, and a voice I didn't recognize, shouting. Quietly, I put down my cucco and peered out the window. Three pig-men lay unconscious on the ground, and a handsome young man was searching them for loot. He must have sensed me watching him, because he immediately looked up, right at me. I was a little shocked at how blue his eyes were. I hadn't seen anyone with blue eyes for years. Still, they didn't impress me. I'd seen a lot of young punks just like him come and go over the years. 

"Momma, who's there?" came a voice from behind me. I turned to see my son, holding the trapdoor open with one hand and sucking the thumb of the other. His whiskers were twitching anxiously. 

"Go back to bed, Tazzin. It was just a brawl. Don't wake your sister." 

"'Kay." He glanced around nervously, then went back down the steps. I had been watching him closely lately; he'd been developing a row of small horns along the crown of his head. I was glad he had something to defend himself with, but it might mean he wanted to become a killer just like the mindless pig-men outside. 

I turned back to the window, only to find the boy gone from the street. The next moment, he walked in my front door. Just walked right in! I guess I had forgotten to lock it that night. 

"Hi," he said with a smile too bright for this town. "Who are you?" 

"Who are YOU?" I countered. "And what are you doing in my house?" 

"Oh, it's yours?" he said in mild surprise. "I thought all these houses were abandoned ruins." 

Now that I had a chance to look at him in the light, I grew a little nervous. He carried a sword and shield at his back, a razor edged boomerang as well as a hookshot at his hip, and another myriad of weapons attached to a backpack he carried. The thought crossed my mind that maybe he was more than just an average punk kid. 

"Some of us live in these houses," I replied to him. "I do have a family to raise, you know." 

He looked more shocked at that than anything. "People raise FAMILIES in this place?" 

"Yes," I said, a little offended. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to raise that family in peace." 

"There is no peace in this place," he said. "Why raise them here?" 

Now I realized what it was about Link that was different. He was fully Hylian, no distinguishing mutations of any kind. "You're from the Light World!" I accused. 

"Uh, yeah," he said. "Aren't you?" 

"No, I live here, thank you very much. Now, please leave my house, before you give my children nightmares." 

"Nightmares? Why would I give your children night-" 

"Go away!" 

So he finally walked out the door. Relieved, I went back to the fire, thinking that it was the last I'd seen of him. 

The next morning, I found out I was wrong. 


	2. 2

_**Author's Note:** Thank you to my reviewers! You guys encouraged me to write the next chapter; I wasn't sure if I would or not. You guys definitely cheered me up. Thanks again. I love reviewers. _

A Lighter Shade of Dark   
**Chapter Two**

That night, I was the one who had bad dreams about the Light-worlder. He bothered me for reasons I couldn't name. When I fixed breakfast in the morning, all I could think of was the boy. He irritated me to no end. Tazzin and sweet little Rechaki kept asking me what was wrong. 

"I had nightmares last night," I answered them. 

Rechaki tilted her head. "What did you dream about?" asked the little kitten. 

"The Light World," I said. 

"Have you been there??" Tazzen asked, standing up on his chair. 

"Yes, but it was a long time ago," I said, scowling at his quivering whiskers. "It wasn't that great." 

He was still intrigued, so I waved him away and served them both a breakfast of cucco eggs and toast that was slightly stale. 

After only a few minutes, breakfast was interrupted by a commotion in the town square. There was a huge scraping sound of stone againse stone, and it permeated the whole village. 

"What _is_ that?" Rechaki squealed. 

"Let's go see!" Tazzin jumped out of his chair and bolted out the door before I could react. 

"Tazzin!" I shouted, but he didn't return. 

"Taz, Taz, wait for me," Rechaki called, and followed his lead. I sighed and shook my head. My children were much too foolhardy. The world was dangerous! They would have to learn that somehow. 

I untied my apron and followed my children through the run-down neighborhood. The cobblestone road under my feet used to be a cheery pink, but was now grimy and dull. I still hadn't figured out why the town was in such disrepair, but it was still an ideal place to live when it was compared to the surrounding areas. 

There was a large crowd gathered around the statue in town square. Many pig-men were around, plus some dog-men, and even a slimy fox whowas methodically picking people's pockets. I made a point of avoiding him and pushed past them all to the front of the crowd. 

I saw the boy from the Light World. He was plopped on the ground, digging in a backpack for something. The door of the statue, usualy only used by a few vile thieves, had been shoved open by force. 

The boy pulled a large red boomering from his pack, and, now satisfied, stood up. He seemed to notice the swarm of people for the first time, but instead of being threatened, he grinned. He seemed to thrive on the attention of their suspicious stares and hostile glances. 

"Don't worry, people of the Dark World," he said loudly. "I will release you from Ganon's evil cluthes, and I will restore this place to being the Golden Land!" 

I looked around at the townspeople, who seemed as confused as I was. "Who's Ganon?" I heard several people ask each other. 

The boy seemed not to notice or care. He shouldered his backpack - which now that I looked at it seemed too small to fit that wicked-looking boomerang - and abruptly disappeared into the statue. 

The crowd cried out as one and surged toward the doorway. I was one of them. I hadn't thought he would actually go _in_ the catacombs. _No one_ went into the catacombs. 

When they were sure that he wasn't going to come out - and therefore never would - the mass of people dispersed, gossiping among themselves. I shook my head, just glad to be rid of the unnerving, flawless boy. 

Tazzin came bounding up to me. "Why did he go in there, mama?" he asked. 

"I don't know, sweetie," I told him. "He probably had a death wish. Where's Rechaki? Did she get lost in the crowd?" 

"No, she followed him in," He said matter-of-factly. 

I stared at him, barely registering the shock I felt. My blood turned cold. "Tell me you're just kidding," I said, looking intensely at him. 

"Really, she did," he said earnestly. As he watched me, he started to grow a little fearful. I didn't blame him. I knew my eyes were changing from green to red, and that my claws were growing slightly. Most people never changed so much on account of amere emotion. It would take a personality shift to change most people's mutation. But I had never had a stable shape in the Golden Land. 

"Mom, don't get mad," Tazzin whimpered. 

"Tazzin, go to Sheru's house. Stay there. Tell her that I went to go find Rechaki. Go!" 

He split. As soon as he and his little ring of horns were out of sight and well on their way to the old heron's house, I turned to the entrance of the catacombs and dived in.


	3. 3

**A Lighter Shade of Dark   
_Chapter Three_**

The catacombs were dark and damp and miserable. The thought of my little Rechaki, who hadn't even grown claws yet, wandering about in this place made me shudder. 

I wandered down dank hallways full of little vermin, like blobs and squid-rats. I knew that those were not the worst things that lived here. I started to get nervous, and I thought I could feel someone watching me. What made it worse was that I could only see about ten or fifteen feet in front of me. 

"Rechaki!" I called out finally. "Are you here?" 

It occurred to me that the people who lived near the gargoyle statue had often complained of women's cries coming from the combs. Maybe those women were like me, women who came in looking for lost daughters and never came out. 

I stoppped where I was and started to think. I reconsidered my actions. Why did I think I could take on the combs? I should have sent someone else in after Rechaki, so Tazzin wouldn't lose his mother along with his sister. 

"Don't think like that," I ordered myself out loud. "You'll be fine." I'd just hurry and find Rechaki and then get out of here. She couldn't have gone too far. I resumed my search. 

Instead of Rechaki, I found the Light Worlder. He crouched in a doorway, trying to hide. I approached him from behind and saw that he was covered with burns and scratches, and his clothes were stained with blood. 

"Hey, you all right?" I asked. 

He jumped and turned to see me. He didn't look quite as eerie as before. He just looked scared. 

"I... I'll be all right," he said. I've been in worse situations. what are you doing here?" 

Quickly I banished any concern and demanded, "Where's my daughter?" 

"Huh?" he peered up at me. "Your daughter?" 

"She followed you into this Light-forsaken place! Where is she?" 

Slowly he stood to his full height. He was almost taller than me, and it was unnerving to see someone so young be so big. What would he be like as an adult? 

"I haven't seen your daughter," he said, "But I'll help you look for her, if you want. What's your name?" 

I hesitated. "Mirekai," I told him. "And yes, any help would be aprecieated." 

Slowly the lost little-boy look vanished, and he returned to being a confident, overbearing hero. "I'm Link," he announced, "the wielder of the Master Sword." 

I raised an eyebrow. "Okay. Can your Master Sword find Rechaki?" 

"That's your daughter, eh? Of course it can find her. What does she look like?" 

"A lot like me, except smaller. She has big eyes and no claws. She's much too helpless to wander alone." 

"Then we shouldn't waste time. Let's go." 

Link led the way for the most part, sword out and boomerang at the ready, strapped to his back if he needed it. I was constantly looking around at the slick earthen walls, watiing for something to jump out and grab her. But oddly enough, having the arrogant, swaggering kid nearby made me feel more at ease. It must have been that sword of his. Sharp and dangerous. 

The hallways opened up into a large cave, crisscrossed with stone bridges and dimly lit by phosphorescent stones. It was milling with creatures of every mutation and size, along with fire entities and some kind of gltittering orb. 

"Whoa," Link breathed. "You think they're hostile?" 

"I don't know," I whispered. "Probably." 

"Only one way to find out." He ran to the tunnel opening and faced the entire cave. "Excuse me!" he shouted. "Has anyone seen a little cat girl around here?" 

All motion stopped. Everything that had eyes turned to stare at him and those that didn't seemed to be paying attention to him anyway. Then, one by one, the lizard-men and giant blobs and firey spirits charged. 

"Ack." He jumepd back to me and grabbed my limp paw. I was in complete shock, not moving. I was certain we were going to die. 


End file.
